Chapter 55: The World's Greatest Swordsmanship

"I am the Hall Master of the Rain Hall of the Sacred Cult, known as Little Rain Master. How are your spells?"

Qin Mu walked into the next room, where a woman was waiting. Her face was adorned with peculiar patterns, she wore a feathered hoopoe headdress, and held a bamboo staff with an unknown animal tail tied to it. The staff had twenty-four sections, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms. The woman smiled and said, "In this room, we'll compete in magic!"

Qin Mu shook his head and said, "I don't understand magic. Can martial artists in the Spirit Embryo realm learn magic too?"

The woman chuckled, "Why not? Primordial Qi is magic power. If you know spells, you can cast them. The Cult Master's wife is one of the top magic users in our cult; didn't she teach you? When I was in the Spirit Embryo realm, I already began traveling the land, casting spells to bring rain for the people. Whenever there was a drought, people would invite me, which is why they called me a witch. Later, as my cultivation grew and my reputation spread, I became known as Little Rain Master. The Cult Master honored me by appointing me Hall Master of the Rain Hall. However, I'm still far inferior to the Cult Master's wife. She was chosen as a Saintess back then, but I wasn't."

Qin Mu wondered aloud, "How do you fight using magic?"

The Rain Hall Master put a hand to her forehead and sighed, "How can you know so little? Since ancient times, there has been a conflict between magic and combat. Practitioners of magic and those of combat techniques often fought to the death, each believing the other to be heretics who must be eliminated. Nowadays, everyone gets along peacefully, but in the past, if you told a magic-wielding divine ability practitioner that you practiced combat techniques, you'd be sliced to pieces in an instant! The combat prowess of the magic lineage is stronger than you can imagine!"

Qin Mu asked curiously, "Is sword controlling art considered magic?"

"No, it's not."

The Rain Hall Master shook her head. "Sword controlling art used to be a combat technique. Later, practitioners of sword controlling art believed they were the true path and called themselves the 'Divine Abilities' school, claiming that those who practiced combat techniques and magic were evil heretics who must be eliminated. That's why Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang convened a great assembly, challenging all the world's combat technique experts and crippling the combat technique lineage. Didn't the Cult Master's wife tell you all this?"

Qin Mu frowned. "Why are they always fighting amongst themselves? Aren't combat techniques, sword arts, and magic all divine abilities? Wouldn't it be better to combine the strengths of all three?"

The Rain Hall Master gave a wry smile. "A person's energy is limited. Where would one find the time to cultivate all three schools to a profound level? Even mastering one would exhaust a lifetime of time and wisdom, let alone reaching its peak. Since everyone cultivates different things, there will naturally be disputes over who is superior. No one gives in to anyone else, so they inevitably fight to the death."

Qin Mu's spirits lifted. "Sister, please show me your magic. I've never seen it before!"

The Rain Hall Master raised her slender hand, fingers pointing downwards. With a slight lift and tremor, mist immediately surged forth in the room, followed by a gentle patter of rain.

Qin Mu observed closely, noticing that after the rainwater hit the ground, it flowed back up the walls, circulating repeatedly.

The Rain Hall Master waved her hand, and distinct rain lines appeared, like zither strings. She spread her fingers and plucked the rain lines, causing grand zither music to fill the room. Amidst the music, the rainwater transformed into a surging water flood dragon, roaring as it rushed towards Qin Mu!

Qin Mu reached out, gripped the water flood dragon's vital point, and with a pop, crushed it.

The Rain Hall Master was startled. Her hands rapidly plucked the strings, and the rainwater astonishingly transformed into swords, spears, sabers, and halberds, attacking Qin Mu from all directions at extreme speed. The air temperature rapidly dropped, causing the rainwater to freeze, making the weapons even more powerful!

Qin Mu flicked his fingers repeatedly, shattering all the incoming swords, spears, sabers, and halberds. "So this is magic," he said. "Sister, would you say this move of mine also counts as magic?"

His hands suddenly burst into raging flames. Using his hands as blades, he swung them in a continuous series of slashes, sending the Rain Hall Master flying.

The Rain Hall Master fell into the courtyard, her voice sounding surprised and angry. "You combat technique heretic! Using combat techniques as magic..."

Qin Mu walked into the next room, where he saw a burly man with a scraggly beard, half-kneeling and half-sitting. Beside him lay a rectangular sword box, secured tightly with bronze clasps.

"I am the Hall Master of the Sword Hall."

The burly man didn't rise, remaining half-kneeling and half-sitting. He said, "You carry a sword satchel, so you should know sword arts. Today, we'll compete in sword arts."

Qin Mu shook his head. "I haven't learned sword arts."

The Sword Hall Master looked up in surprise. "You haven't learned sword arts? Then why do you carry a sword satchel? Didn't the Cult Master's wife teach you sword arts?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "Granny said there's someone in the village with the world's greatest sword art, so she couldn't teach me the Heavenly Devil Cult's sword art, lest that person wouldn't teach me."

"The world's greatest sword art?"

The Sword Hall Master's tiger-like eyes widened, his gaze incredibly sharp, like two sword beams piercing directly into Qin Mu's mind. He sneered, "Who dares to boast so shamelessly? Go learn a sword move from him. I want to see how much this so-called 'world's greatest sword' can truly surpass my Sacred Cult's!"

Qin Mu blinked. "I've also learned other things, like the Eight Forms of Thunder Sound, Sky-Stealing Divine Leg, Pig-Slaughtering Blade Art, and I've also learned spear arts, drawing, hammer arts..."

The Sword Hall Master gently caressed the sword casket beside him and said coldly, "I only want to see your so-called world's greatest sword art! Everything else is nonsense!"

Helpless, Qin Mu had no choice but to leave the wooden building, return to Disabled Elderly Village, and explain the situation to Granny Si.

Granny Si fumed, "That Sword Hall is so stubborn and inflexible! Mu'er, you too! Just hack him to death with your blade!"

Qin Mu stammered, "That wouldn't be honorable."

Granny Si led him by the hand to the village entrance. There, the Village Chief and the Apothecary were still brewing tea, with the Young Ancestor sitting opposite them. The three were drinking together.

"Village Chief, the Hall Master of the Sword Hall insists on competing with Mu'er in sword arts."

Granny Si said with a smile, "Why don't you teach him a few moves?"

The Village Chief frowned and shook his head. "In such a short time, even with my guidance, it would be difficult to defeat him. After all, the Sword Hall Master has immersed himself in sword arts for many years and has made some accomplishments of his own. For you to ask me to teach him a few moves and expect him to defeat the Sword Hall Master is asking a bit much."

"But fortunately, Mu'er has the Hegemon Body, right?" Granny Si said, blinking.

"Hegemon Body..."

The Village Chief's eye twitched. He felt his intestines were turning green, surely from regret.

After all, Qin Mu was the Hegemon Body he had 'adamantly claimed.' He knew Qin Mu's background thoroughly, and Qin Mu's awakening of the Spirit Embryo had already exceeded his imagination. But to expect Qin Mu's sword arts to grow enough in such a short time to contend with the Heavenly Devil Cult's most outstanding sword master was still asking a bit much.

Granny Si had thrust this task upon him, and he couldn't refuse.

The Village Chief pondered for a moment. "Mu'er, tell me about the Dan Heart Art you learned from Gu Lihuan."

Qin Mu immediately recited the Dan Heart Art. The Village Chief nodded slightly in approval. "Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang did indeed achieve something by gathering sword masters from all over the world. The Dan Heart Art's sword control technique truly has a unique secret."

The Young Ancestor sitting opposite him also praised, "Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang is a prodigy."

The Village Chief said, "Tell me how Gu Lihuan explained the Dan Heart Art to you."

Qin Mu recounted Gu Lihuan's explanation. The Village Chief mused for a moment, then chuckled, "Gu Lihuan held back some information."

He pointed out the errors, and Qin Mu immediately tried the revised parts. Then, using qi to control his sword, he found that sword control became much easier and his strikes faster. He was greatly impressed.

The Young Ancestor's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "Gu Lihuan didn't hold back information; rather, his comprehension was limited, far inferior to yours, Dao Brother. You grasped all the profound mysteries of the Dan Heart Art after hearing it just once, while he practiced it his entire life and still got it wrong."

"You flatter me, Dao Brother."

The Village Chief looked at Qin Mu and said unhurriedly, "I won't teach you sword arts. I will only teach you the simplest move: the thrust."

"The thrust?"

Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. Isn't the thrust a simple move? Just use primordial qi to control the sword and stab forward. Does it really need to be taught?

"Thrusting with a sword isn't as simple as you think. You don't know sword arts, but once you master this single thrust, very few sword masters in the Spirit Embryo realm across the world will be able to defeat you."

The Village Chief said, "Try using a regular sword, controlled by qi, to pierce through the butcher shop's pillar."

Thud.

Qin Mu's sword pierced through the butcher shop's pillar, its tip emerging from the other side. The cowherd boy then turned to look at the Village Chief.

The Village Chief's expression stiffened. He coughed and said, "Try piercing this stone."

Qin Mu's primordial qi surged, pulling the treasured sword out of the pillar. With another 'ding,' the sharp sword pierced through a mountain rock in front of the Village Chief. The cowherd boy turned back again, innocently gazing at the Village Chief's stiff expression.

The Young Ancestor was both surprised and amused. He could only suppress his laughter to avoid being impolite.

'I forgot,' the Village Chief thought to himself, 'This boy's primordial qi cultivation is incredibly profound. His sword art is terrible, but his primordial qi is immensely powerful. With the enhancement of primordial qi, the power is multiplied.'

The Village Chief, embarrassed, coughed repeatedly to cover it up. He said, "Now try piercing your Pig-Slaughtering Blade."

A crisp 'ding' sound rang out, but this time Qin Mu failed to pierce the Pig-Slaughtering Blade.

'Good, he didn't pierce it. Otherwise, there'd be no way to teach him...'

The Village Chief secretly sighed in relief and patiently coaxed, "When you made that thrust, what did you feel?"

Qin Mu pondered deeply, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "I felt that my primordial qi wasn't strong enough. When using qi to control the sword, if the tip encountered even slight resistance, my primordial qi would struggle to continue, as if I had immense strength but was trying to hit someone with a strand of hair. The qi threads were too soft and couldn't withstand all my power."